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TIL that 10,000 years ago, everyone’s eyes were brown until someone living by the Black Sea developed a genetic mutation turning brown eyes blue

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69GDl TIL that during the Carrington event of 1859, some telegraph operators were still able to communicate with each other despite both sides having the power disconnected due to the strong electric current induced by the solar storm
lmga TIL a woman was elected to the US house of representatives in 1916, four years before women won the right to vote nationwide
oRArA TIL that George Orwell participated in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939); after travelling as a journalist for reporting on the war, he later enlisted as a soldier against fascism. In the photo some of his comrades can be seen with Ernest Hemingway in the background (1937).
V0lZ TIL that 70% of the land in England is still owned by 1% of the population, largely descended from William the Conqueror’s army.
bLgp TIL the longest serving officer in the United States Navy, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, who served for 63 years under 13 presidents, Said that he would “would sink them all” when asked about what he would do to his nuclear powered ships.